7 Limiting Beliefs Stopping You From Your Potential and Dreams

The stories we tell ourselves are lies.

A lot of our daily thoughts are deeply rooted and attached to us from our past.

With that said, when attempting to change your narrative (health, business, relationships, etc), a plethora of limiting beliefs and stories will be there to greet you. Limiting beliefs and past stories leeched on to me by various people & external sources throughout my life is still something I battle with every day.

These things are hard to address because they don’t make themselves apparent. Your brain finds ways to comfort you & provide an outlet about why something didn’t work, or why you didn’t attract your preferred mates or why you don’t lose those desired pounds.

That’s why self-awareness is the central key to losing weight, succeeding in business, or any other type of goal. Without addressing these stories and limiting beliefs, you’ll find a way to self-sabotage yourself at some point throughout the process and blame external sources for your shortcomings.

As you attempt to address these limiting beliefs and stories, you’ll discover that these truths aren’t actually your beliefs and thoughts. But instead, these are beliefs, fears, and stories that others have had and now have infiltrated on to you. These beliefs and stories aren’t actually who you are. Instead, they’re who others want you to be and believe who you should be.

If you like who you are, where you are, and how things are going—great, don’t change. But, if you feel there is something missing, something deeper, more potential inside—then it’s time to let those people, thoughts, and beliefs go.

Here are some seven common limiting beliefs and lies to let go of.

1. “I’m too old for that in life”

Harrison Ford didn’t achieve any major success until after 30. J.K. Rowling didn’t achieve major success until after 30. Sylvester Stallone didn’t achieve major success until after 30 (he even starred in a pornographic movie to keep the dream alive).

Age is a representation of how long you’ve been on this earth, no more. Age doesn’t have to define you. Don’t let the number of years stop you from pursuing a creative goal, a business goal, a fitness goal, a travel goal, or any other goal.

The majority of people who use age as an excuse are finding a way to take the responsibility off of themselves. It’s easier to dream and fantasize about a goal than it is to get your hands dirty and do the work.

2. “I have no qualifications”

I didn’t go to school for journalism nor any other type of writing. My undergrad studies were marketing and international business with a psychology minor. I went to medical school for a year and left to pursue writing and other dreams with nor formal qualifications.

Unless you’re a doctor, lawyer, or other similar technical jobs, qualifications are a fancy piece of paper and jargon. We live in the golden age of information, you can learn anything you want (often times for free) from a simple Google search.

3. “I’m too busy”

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. What one does with those given 24 hours is what separates the successful from the non-successful; the dreamer from the doer; the fit and healthy individual from the procrastinator; the fulfilled relationship to the dreadful relationship.

“I’m too busy”, “I don’t have enough time” are nothing more than inadequate uses of time management and code for that it’s not actually that big of a priority despite what I’m saying.

Words can be powerful, but actions are even more powerful.

4. “I’m waiting for the right time”

Not tomorrow, next week, next month, or an hour from now—the perfect moment is now. Want to start a fitness goal, declare now and make one small positive action right now.

This could be signing up for a gym membership, getting a personal trainer, or buying a healthy lunch today. You don’t need to take a gigantic leap to start achieving your dreams. You need to get off the sidelines and get on the playing field.

Waiting for the perfect moment is nothing more than fear. Time is precious and isn’t renewable, make each moment count.

5. “I’m worried what people will think”

People will give weird looks to things they don’t understand and to ideas that extend beyond conventional norms. Most people are unfortunately afraid to act for themselves and instead rely on the media, social media, and celebrities for direction and guidance in life.

Embrace being different and unmistakable. They’ll soon understand.

6. “Money is tight”

I know, we have bills, debt, food, and other expenses in our lives. I’m a career student for most of my life so I never had an excess of money to fall back on.

Instead of thinking how little money you may have or that you don’t have enough, think about what you can do with the money that you have. Use the current resources that you have and then build up.

Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and many other big businesses didn’t have fancy offices on day one. Daymond John from shark tank started Fubu while working at shifts at Red Lobster.

7. “My life isn’t good at the moment”

Maybe you’re going through a storm or two right now, but as the clouds come and go, your situation will pass. The important thing is, did you learn from this situation and how can it make you better in the long-term?

Every situation has a lesson in it, even when it seems like the direst of situations.

Acknowledge your present for whatever it is at the moment, but realize that the future is completely moldable to your liking and preference. The main need for your desired future is a commitment to proactive and positive actions in the present.

Think about what your life could look like in the future. Think about a year from now. Three years from now. Ten years from now.

About Julian Hayes II

Julian Hayes II is an author, health & fitness consultant, speaker, and founder of The Art of Fitness & Life. His mission is to help men and women integrate health and fitness into their ideal (and often times busy) lifestyle without any tricks or gimmicks (stress free). To ignite and kick start your weight loss journey, check out his free 4-part mini course call “Simple Weight Loss.”

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